


Bullets For My Valentine – Cougar’s Rant

by jenunjen96816



Series: Bullets For My Valentine - The Series [3]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-10 02:31:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10427187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenunjen96816/pseuds/jenunjen96816
Summary: Detectives Press and Heath take center stage in this story of hot cops, dangerous villains, and falling in love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short Preath story set in the Bullets world. I’m currently in the middle of two other Preath stories, but I have kind of stalled on both. This idea just came into my head, so I figured I’d post it while I try to finish off the other two stories.
> 
> This story will also have a bit of Klingenmoe. There won't be any Krashlyn in this story, but Ali makes a cameo appearance.
> 
> For those of you who have not read the first two Bullets For My Valentine stories, I would suggest reading them for context and backstory (they read pretty quick), but in case you want to dive right into this story, I kept the backstory to a minimum, so it is able to be read as a standalone.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story.

“Why do people from Portland always brag about having the best coffee?” Detective Christen Press asked as she stopped the black Chevy Suburban at a red light.

“Because we do”, Detective Tobin Heath, riding shotgun, confidently replied. She looked over and smiled at Christen, who looked back and rolled her eyes. Tobin and Christen served as detectives under Senior Detective Hope Solo on the Strike Team, an elite law enforcement unit within the Chicago Police Department. The unit worked closely with the FBI and JOCT, the Joint Organized Crime Taskforce, which coordinated the fight on organized crime between federal and law enforcement agencies. Tobin and Christen were headed back to the 11th Precinct in downtown Chicago, which served as the Strike Team’s base of operations. They had been checking out some leads on a drug ring operating in the area and had split up the leads with Hope and Detective Morgan “Moe” Brian, the newest member of the team. “Why do you people from Chicago always claim to have the best hot dogs?” Tobin retorted. “And why would anyone want to brag about that anyway? Those things are disgusting. It’s like claiming to have the best…I don’t know…cow pies, or something.”

“Whatever”, Christen said, and started driving again as the light turned green. “Maybe you should go back to Portland, and take your snide-ass comments with you.”

“Oh, but you’d miss me”, Tobin said, as she looked over and smiled.

Christen glanced over and smiled back. She was right. Tobin was hot, calm under pressure, and utterly fearless, and Christen had fallen for all of those things. Since Detective Julie Johnson had left the Strike Team six months ago, Christen and Tobin had been working more closely together. Hope had been pairing up with Morgan, who was Julie’s replacement. Like Julie, Morgan was an expert in self-defense and hand to hand combat. Tobin was the team’s explosives expert, having served on an EOD team in the army and then on the CPD bomb squad before joining the Strike Team. Christen was the team’s sharp shooter. “As much as it pains me to say it, I would”, she said with a smirk.

Tobin, still smiling, looked at her. She gorgeous, Tobin thought. She wasn’t sure exactly when, but sometime in the last few months, her feelings had moved beyond platonic for the stunning brunette sitting next to her. Maybe it was that they had been working more closely and spending more time together. Maybe it was the close calls they’d had, working in a profession that courted physical danger. Maybe it was the fact that Christen was smart and gorgeous. True, they were partners on the same team, and it was a general rule that teammates shouldn’t have personal relationships, but she just couldn’t help feeling what she did. She stared at Christen for a moment longer and then looked away and asked, “Talk with JJ lately?”

“Last week”, Christen said. “She’s enjoying FBI life with Alex.” After the case involving The Black Dragon Society, New Ireland and The Rose Syndicate, Christen and Julie had gone out on a few dates, but then Julie had transferred. “Speaking of which, you talk with Alex lately?”

“Yeah, same, couple of weeks ago. She says she misses working with Pinoe, but likes having JJ as a partner”, Tobin said. After the Black Dragon, New Ireland and Rose Syndicate case, Special Agent Megan Rapinoe, who had been partners with Special Agent Alex Morgan, had received a promotion and a move to the FBI’s office in New York. She had taken Alex with her, but her promotion had left Alex without a partner. Julie’s dream had always been to be an FBI agent, so when an opportunity came up to work with Alex and under Megan, she applied, and with some discussion between Hope, Megan, and Special Agent Ali Krieger of JOCT, who had been in charge of coordinating the extended team’s efforts, Julie had taken the transfer. Shortly after that, Hope had hired Morgan onto the Strike Team to replace Julie.

“I miss those guys, but that’s life”, Christen said. She was silent for a moment and then said, “Funny how things work out, you know?”

Tobin looked over. “Yeah, I hear ya”, she said. She had gone out with Alex a couple times, and they’d had fun together, but things had pretty much ended right there. There were no hard feelings - there just wasn’t enough there to progress. “Fuck, this has been long day”, Tobin said as she stretched her arms over her head and rolled her neck, then looked at the clock on the car dashboard. It was just before 10pm. She was silent for a moment and then said, “You wanna get a drink?”

Christen looked at Tobin, contemplating. They had been out for drinks before, but lately, drinking together had become more…daring, or something. She was on the fence. She was tired, and they were near the station, and she just kind of wanted to go home, but she could use a drink. This drug ring case they had been working on was taxing everyone. She thought for another moment and then smiled. “Sure, let’s do it-” she started, when the radio went off.

“All units, report of shots fired at City Hall.”

Christen looked at Tobin. City had was just a few blocks from the station. Tobin looked back at Christen and then grabbed the radio.

“Dispatch, this is 8-Lincoln 30, we are in the area two blocks away, responding”, Tobin said, then hung up.

“Well, so much for that drink”, Christen said as she hit the gas and the lights.

Tobin looked at her and then smiled. “This is better - we get to bust some bad guys”, she said, then checked the clip in her gun. “And then we can still go drink afterwards”, she said.

Christen smiled at her and shook her head. “You’re too much, Tobie.” Lately she had started calling Tobin ‘Tobie’, instead of ‘Tobin’, ‘Heath’, or ‘Nutmeg’, which was Tobin’s general nickname.

“Yeah baby!”, Tobin exclaimed with a smile, then hit the side of the car with her hand. “Let’s fuckin’ do this!”

 

********

 

Christen skidded to a stop in front of City Hall, and then she and Tobin got out. They drew their guns and then looked around, and a second later a security guard ran up, hands out in front of him, panic on his face. “Help! They’re over there!” he yelled, pointing to the right side.

“How many?” Christen asked.

“Three”, the guard said.

“Okay, call for backup”, Christen said, then looked at Tobin. “Let’s go.” The two women raised their guns and approached the building.

“I see them!” Tobin shouted, pointing at two dark figures moving towards the back right side of the building, then took off running after them. Christen followed her, then saw another dark figure moving towards the other side.

“I see another! We need to split up”, Christen said. She took off running towards the other suspect but then dove behind a dumpster when the figure raised its arm. Bullets ricocheted off the side of the dumpster. Christen swore, then poked her head out to see the figure round a corner. She got up and continued pursuit, but as she approached the corner she heard the sounds of a motorcycle starting up, and she rounded the corner just in time to see it take off.

“Shit”, Christen swore. She put her hands to her head and was about to swear again, when she heard a gunshot coming from the direction in which Tobin had run. She took off in that direction, gun at the ready. “Tobin?” she called out. No answer. She called Tobin’s name again, and then rounded a corner into an alley, and froze.

Tobin was twenty feet away, facing the other way. She was down on her knees, her hands behind her head. A figure in all black, ski mask over its head, was behind her, its back also towards Christen. It was holding a gun, the tip of the barrel touching the back of Tobin’s head.

“You’re gonna die”, a female voice said.

“You don’t have the guts”, Tobin said.

“Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…” The woman said, slowly backing away as she counted. ”Five…four…three…tw-” 

BANG

The woman screamed and dropped the gun. Tobin instantly spun around. The woman was five feet away from her, clutching her hand. Tobin shot in like a wrestler, taking the woman to the ground, and then pounced on her as Christen emerged from the shadows, her gun still smoking.

“You’re under arrest”, Tobin said to the woman. She turned her over and slapped on the cuffs, and the woman screamed as Tobin grabbed the hand that had been holding the gun. “Nice shot, Chris. Right in the hand”, Tobin said. Lately she had started calling Christen ‘Chris’. Christen smiled faintly, and Tobin pulled off the ski mask covering the woman’s face. A young brunette stared backed, a mixture of disdain and fear in her eyes.

“You okay?” Christen asked Tobin, holstering her gun.

“Yeah”, Tobin said. “Went after the first one, got blindsided by this one here. The first one escaped.” She hauled the woman up onto her feet.

Christen nodded, then reached down and picked up Tobin’s gun and handed it to her. Tobin holstered it and then said, “Thanks. Where’s the suspect you went after?”

“Got away. Shot at me and then took off on a motorcycle. But I’m sure this one here can help us find him…or her. Robbery, attempted murder of a police officer…you’re in a lot of trouble”, Christen said, looking at the suspect, whose facial expression was going quickly away from disdain and more towards fear.

“I’m sure she’ll be willing to help us out, right?” Tobin said to the suspect, smiling. “Alright, let’s go”, she said, then lead the suspect out of the alley, with Christen following. They walked towards the front of City Hall, where the security guard was still waiting, and the first uniformed police officers were arriving on the scene. Tobin shoved the suspect into the back of a waiting car and then walked towards Christen. “Hey, Chris, thanks”, she said. “For, you know…saving me.”

Christen looked back at Tobin for a moment, then grabbed Tobin’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “Anytime, Tobie”, she said with a slight smile. Then she and Tobin got into the Suburban and headed towards the station.


	2. Chapter 2

The two thieves entered the warehouse and walked to the back towards the office. Their employers were waiting for them in the semi-dark room.

“Did you get it?” a tall, beautiful, dark haired woman asked. She was sitting in a chair at a desk, the only furniture in the room.

“Sure did”, the first thief said. She held up a shoulder bag.

“Let’s see it”, the dark haired woman said, and motioned to her companion. An attractive woman with dirty blonde hair stepped forward to take the bag, light glinting in her fierce eyes, a hard expression on her face.

“Um… may we see the money?” the second thief said, nervously.

The dark haired woman stared at her. “Have I ever not paid you?” she asked politely.

“Um…you always pay us”, the second thief said. It was true – this employer always paid, and paid well. But she was nervous. This time things hadn’t gone exactly according to plan.

“Indeed I do”, the dark haired woman said, then smiled. “But if it will make you feel better…” She reached below her desk and brought up a suitcase. She put it on the desk and then opened it, letting the two thieves see the contents. “Good?”

“Yup, we’re good”, said the first thief haughtily. Unlike the second thief, her employers did not make her nervous. They were just customers, that was all. And no matter how bad someone thinks they may be, no one is badder than a bullet, and the first thief was a good shot, if she didn't mind saying so herself. "We good?" she said to the second thief, who nodded.

“Good. Now, the merchandise”, the dark haired woman said, and the dirty blonde held out her hand. She took the bag from the first thief, then handed it to the dark haired woman, who removed the contents from the bag. She flipped it over several times, examining it in the minimal light, then smiled. “Thank you, ladies”, she said.

“So we’re good?” the second thief asked as the first thief grabbed the suitcase full of money off the desk.

“We’re good”, the dark haired woman said. She paused for a moment and then asked, “Where is your companion?”

“We got split up at the scene”, the second thief said.

“Last I saw her, she was holding a gun to the back of some cop’s head”, the first thief said, bravado in her voice. She smiled at the second thief, who smiled back nervously, not sure why their employers didn’t make her accomplice as nervous as they did her.

“Hmmm…” the dark haired woman said, thinking.

“So, we’re good?” the second thief asked again, anxious to complete the transaction and leave.

The dark haired woman looked at the first thief, and then at the second thief, and then smiled. “Yes, I believe we are good”, she said, then looked at the dirty blonde and nodded.

“Well alright then, nic-” the first thief was about to say ‘nice doing business with you’, when the dirty blonde reached out and sliced her throat with a wicked-looking butterfly knife that seemed to have materialized in her hand out of thin air. The first thief went down, the briefcase falling to the ground with a thud. The second thief turned to her associate, but before she could process what had just happened, the butterfly knife sliced through her neck as well, and she went down as quick as the first. The dark haired woman watched it all, a smile forming on her face as the two thieves fell.

“The third one got busted by the cops”, the dirty blonde surmised, as she wiped blood off of her knife onto the first thief’s shirt, then picked up the briefcase full of money and handed it back to the dark haired woman.

“Indeed. Otherwise she would have been here by now”, the dark haired woman said. “And now, the police are in the know.”

“They don’t know our names”, the dirty blonde said.

“True, but the one they got has seen us. And anything she could give the cops is bad.”

“Agreed”, the dirty blonde said. “Do we need to dispose of her?”

“Not sure”, the dark haired woman said. “Maybe. But that’ll be tricky, now that she’s in police custody.”

The dirty blonde nodded. “I hate loose ends”, she said, then looked down at the two dead thieves. “We’ll dump them in the lake”, she said to the dark haired woman.

“Excellent”, the dark haired woman said and then smiled. “Shall we get moving?”

 

********

 

“Hey, you okay?” Christen asked. She and Tobin were back at Tobin’s apartment. They had gone back to the station and filled out some paperwork, then had gone through a preliminary round of questioning with the suspect. She had remained silent the whole time, so they had called Hope, who had come down. They briefed Hope on what had happened, and Hope, sensing that something was wrong with Tobin, had told Tobin to go home. Christen had asked to accompany her, and Hope had agreed. Now the two of them were sitting close on Tobin’s couch, half-finished beers and phones on the coffee table.

“Yeah”, Tobin said. She was silent for a moment, and then said. “Well, I guess it’s like…man that was scary”, she said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had a gun pointed right at the back of my head. Scared the shit out of me.”

“Yeah”, Christen said. “But, you’ll be okay. I mean, you know – you’re fearless. You’re the gung-ho one on the team, adrenaline junkie, bomb diffuser”, she said, then smiled.

“Yeah, but this was different”, Tobin said. She couldn’t explain it. Yes, she had diffused tons of bombs, and going up against a ticking timer had never unnerved her. She’d been shot at before, and that had never scared her either. But feeling the cold hard steel of a gun right up against the back of her head had her shaken. “That woman would have shot me if you hadn’t been there.”

“Awwww…”, Christen said. She looked at Tobin for a moment, who was staring ahead, and then, moved behind Tobin and wrapped her arms around Tobin’s waist, holding her from behind. Tobin sighed, and then Christen felt Tobin’s hands cover her own. Christen buried her face in Tobin’s hair and gave her a light kiss to the back of her head. The two of them stayed there for a moment and then Christen scooted back, laid herself down, and then gently pulled Tobin down to a lying position so she was spooning Tobin from behind.

“Chris…” Tobin said, still staring straight ahead, still processing the feeling of the gun against the base of her skull, and also processing the feeling of Christen cuddling her from behind.

“I’m here, Tobie”, Christen said softly. She took one hand from Tobin’s waist and started to gently run her fingers through Tobin’s hair. “It’s okay”, she said, as Tobin sighed again and closed her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Tobin opened her eyes as her phone rang and buzzed on the coffee table. She opened her eyes, confused, and then realized that she was still on her couch, Christen was snuggled in behind her. The phone rang again, and she felt Christen stir, then picked up the phone. It was Hope, calling at 7:30am.

“Hey boss”, Tobin said.

“Nutmeg, how you feeling?” Hope asked.

“I’m okay.”

“Did you get some rest?”

“Uhhhh…yeah, enough”, Tobin said, sitting up. She looked over at Christen, who was opening her eyes, squinting in the morning sunlight coming through the window.

“Good. Well get down here as soon as you can”, Hope said. “I’m gonna call Press.”

“No, tha-” Tobin started to say “No, that’s okay, I can tell her”, but then figured maybe at this point in time Hope didn’t need to know that Christen had spent the night at her house, spooning her from behind.

“What’s that?” Hope asked.

“Uhhh..nothing. I mean, that sounds good”, Tobin said. She hung up and then looked at Christen. “Good morning”, she said.

“Hey”, Christen said back, through sleepy eyes. “How do you feel?”

“Better”, Tobin said, then smiled. “Thanks for staying last night.”

“Anytime”, Christen said, then reached out and gently rubbed Tobin’s back.

Tobin stared back at Christen. I want to kiss her, she thought. She’s beautiful, even after just waking up, hair mussed up. She started to bend down, and then Christen’s phone went off. “Oh yeah – Hope’s calling”, Tobin said, stopping her downward movement. Christen looked at her, still waking up. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell her that you had spent the night here”, Tobin said. She smiled slightly and shrugged her shoulders, and then Christen groaned, sat up and picked up her phone.

 

********

 

Christen and Tobin arrived at the precinct thirty minutes later and walked into the Strike Team area. Hope and Morgan were already there, standing at a large table.

“Hey”, Hope said. She noticed that Christen was wearing the same clothes as she had been wearing last night, but chose not to say anything. 

“I heard about what happened”, Morgan said. “You okay?” she asked Tobin.

“Yeah”, Tobin said. “Better today than I was last night.” Then she looked at Christen. “Crack shot over here saved my ass. Bullseye shot, right in the hand.”

“Nice work, Presi”, Morgan said to Christen, who smiled.

“Okay guys, look”, Hope said to get them going, then looked at Morgan. “The suspect that Press and Nutmeg collared last night is Lisa Morland. Twenty-six years old. She’s a career thief, been in and out of the system since she was sixteen. She and two accomplices were hired to break into City Hall last night and steal some plans.”

“Plans?” Christen said. “What are you talking about? We couldn’t get Morland to say anything last night.”

“I put the screws to her last night after you guys left”, Hope said. “She’s scared to death of whoever hired her, but I told her she could either cooperate for witness protection, or she could take her chances on death row at Stateville. She started talking. I found out that she and her accomplices, named Leila Hammond and Corie Phelps, had been hired to steal some plans for a gas line that’s being constructed near the South Loop.”

“What? Why?” Tobin asked.

“She doesn't know”, Hope said. “She said the people who hired her last night have hired her before, but they don't tell her much. They just tell what to steal and where it’s located. She doesn’t ask why they need it, and they don’t say. She just delivers the merchandise, and they give her the money."

“Who hired her?” Christen asked.

“She doesn’t know who they are, only that they speak English with a slight accent of some kind”, Hope said. “She’s met them face to face a couple times, but they never give her their names.”

“Okay, we need to get BOLOs out on Hammond and Phelps”, Christen said.

“Already did. Got nothing so far”, Hope said.

“Damn”, Tobin said.

“I know, we don’t have much”, Hope said.

“Anything else?” Morgan asked.

“Just the two items we found on her”, Hope said, pointing to the two evidence bags on the table. 

“Matches”, Morgan said, picking up the clear bag holding them. “Lion’s Head Pub.”

“It’s in the near north area”, Tobin said.

“And what’s this?” Morgan asked, picking up the other bag that was holding a gold coin.

“I don’t know”, Hope said.

“It’s a Krugerrand”, a male voice came from behind them. Hope, Christen, Tobin and Morgan turned around to see a man and a woman carrying a briefcase, both in suits, walking towards them. With them was Special Agent Ali Krieger of the Joint Organized Crime Task Force.

“Krieger – hey”, Hope said and smiled. “How are you? It’s been a bit. Surprised to see you here.”

“Hey Hope. Good to see you. Surprised to be here myself”, Ali said, smiling back, then turned to Tobin, Christen and Morgan. “Nutmeg, Press, Moe. How are you guys?” 

“Good Ali, you?” Christen said.

“How’s Ash?” Tobin asked.

“And the baby?” Moe asked.

“Good, good and good”, Ali said.

“I thought you were supposed to be on maternity leave”, Hope said.

“Uh, excuse me, ladies”, the man interrupted curtly. “Can we save the chit-chat for tea time? We’ve got bad guys to catch.”

“And we’re catching up”, Hope said. She gave the man a hard look and then took a step closer. “You sure you want to start shit with me in my house?” The man started to pipe up, but the woman in the suit put one hand gently on her colleague’s arm, then held the other up and smiled politely at Hope.

“Hope, it’s alright”, Ali said, putting her own hand up in front of the muscular brunette. “You’re right: I am on maternity leave, but I got a call this morning from Wambach, so I figured I should jump in, just to get things started.” Mary A. Wambach was the director of the Chicago JOCT office, and Ali’s boss. Ali smiled at Hope to calm her down and then motioned to the two people with her. “This is Special Agent Dax McCarty from the FBI, DC office, and this is Meghan Klingenberg from INTERPOL. Wambach got a call this morning from FBI Director Kramer in DC, informing her of Dax and Meghan’s arrival in Chicago, so she called me”, Ali said by way of explanation.

“Nice to meet you, I suppose”, Hope said to Meghan. “You, I’m not so sure about”, she said to Dax. She glared at him for a moment but then remembered that out of respect for Ali she was supposed to play nice with the FBI. It had taken her a couple years to get on good terms with Pinoe, and if this guy in the suit didn’t drop his pushy attitude real fast, it may take a couple years to get on terms with him, too. She looked at Dax and Meghan. “I’m Senior Detective Hope Solo. I run the Strike Team”, she said, then looked at her team. “Detective Tobin Heath, Detective Christen Press, and Detective Morgan Brian”, she said, motioning to each woman with her arm. “So, Special Agent Dax McCarty of the F-B-I", Hope said, mockingly over-enunciating each syllable, "Why don’t you tell us why you’re here, and what a cougar…cougar-ren…cougars’ rant, Freddy Krueger - whatever the fuck this coin is called - is.”

“Cougar’s Rant – sounds like a talk show for pissed off, middle-aged hotties”, Tobin said, and Christen and Morgan laughed.

Dax smiled tightly and then motioned to Meghan, who pulled a laptop out of her bag. “It’s called a Krugerrand. It’s a South African coin”, he said. “And we are here because we got word that you apprehended a robbery suspect last night who was holding one of these coins on her person, along with a book of matches from the Lion’s Head Pub.”

“That’s right”, Hope said. She was going to ask how they had gotten word, but then figured it wouldn’t really matter, so she asked a more pertinent question instead. “So, what do you want with our suspect?”

“We don’t want her”, Meghan said, wiring her laptop to the wall monitor in the Strike Team area. “We want the people who hired her.” She finished connecting her computer and then pulled up an image onto the monitor. It was a beautiful Caucasian woman with dark hair who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. “This is Alice Ruger. South African national. Served in the South African Army, now a mercenary, and not a nice one. We think she serves as a high level operative in a South African group known as Valkyrie. It’s not exactly clear what Valkyrie’s mission statement is, but they are definitely pro-South Africa and pro-white. They are also violent and engaged in multiple channels of criminal behavior. Think of them as like the South African version of the IRA.” Meghan clicked on her computer and another image came up, this one of an attractive woman with dirty blonde hair and fierce eyes, who looked to be a bit younger than the first. “This is Mack Van Nilsen, also a South African national. Her father, Casper Van Nilsen, was born in Amsterdam and is aligned with the Dutch National Socialist movement. Ms. Van Nilsen is a weapons dealer. And even meaner than Ruger. Not sure if she is an actual member of Valkyrie, but she has definite ties to the group. At the very least she supplies them with weapons for their jobs.”

“So, the suspect we caught last night, Lisa Morland, has ties to a South African terrorist group?”

“Not directly, but she has been contracted by them several times for heists”, Dax said.

“So, we stumbled upon something much bigger than your average local robbery”, Christen said.

“Yes you did”, Dax said. “Valkyrie gives their contractors Krugerrand as a good luck token for their jobs. As for the matches that were found on the suspect, Lion’s Head Pub is owned by a woman named Sarah Barker, also a South African national.”

“So we have international players”, Morgan said. “Hence, you're here”, she said, staring right at Meghan. She gave her the once-over and smiled slightly.

“That’s correct”. Meghan said. She smiled slightly back at Morgan, then turned to the group. “We first got rumblings of a possible Valkyrie attack on American soil about a year ago. That’s when the FBI and INTERPOL started working together.”

“So there’s a chance that Ruger and Van Nilsen may be hiding out at Lion’s Head, along with the suspects who escaped last night”, Christen said.

“It’s a possibility”, Meghan said.

“So why don’t we just go over there and see who’s home?” Tobin said.

“That’s a good idea, detective, but we can’t just go in guns blazing”, Dax said.

“Why not?”

“Because if Ruger and Van Nilsen are here in Chicago right now, that means they are planning something big.”

“Like what?” Christen said.

“We don’t know. But, if we go in hot, and they’re not there, then we risk spooking them. We can’t afford to let that happen. We need to make sure we catch them.”

“We’ve heard that the suspects who escaped last night took some plans”, Meghan said. “Construction plans, to a new gas line in the south loop area.”

“Yeah. So?” Morgan said.

“So, perhaps those stolen gas line plans could be a clue as to what Valkyrie is planning. Perhaps, say…some kind of massive explosion…?” Meghan said and raised her eyebrows at Morgan, who rolled her eyes back at Meghan. “It wouldn’t be the first time Valkyrie has utilized explosives. We know of at least seven bombings linked to their name.”

“Okay, say you’re right about them wanting to blow up the south loop”, Tobin said. “What’s in the south loop worth blowing up?”

“I don’t know”, Meghan said.

“You guys tell us. You're the local authorities. What’s even down there?” Dax asked.

“Mostly touristy stuff. Art Institute, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Planetarium…” Morgan said.

“Could be a plan to injure as many civilians as possible”, Meghan said. “This _is_ a violent organization”, she reminded the group.

“Okay, so what’s the plan then?” Hope asked, then looked at Ali. “Krieger?”

“I’m out of this, actually”, Ali said. “I just came to help facilitate introductions, but I’m sure you’ll all play nice together without me”, she said and smiled.

Hope snorted and then looked at Dax. “So, Special Agent McCarty, what’s the FBI’s grand plan?”

“Well, like I said, we can’t go in hot, but we do need to look around, so maybe we can all go over there, but just a couple of us go in, get a sit rep, and then come back out and tell the others.”

“That’s a hell of a plan”, Hope said sarcastically. “Fine, but Moe and I need to look into something for another case right now”, she said, “so Press, Nutmeg – you guys go over with the suits and check it out.”

“Sure thing, boss, but uh…just one thing”, Tobin said, then turned to the group. “Lion’s Head is a lesbian bar.”

“What?” Dax said.

“I said, Lion’s Head is a lesbian bar”, Tobin said, this time right at Dax. Dax narrowed his eyes, so Tobin said, “I know, because I’ve had some adventures there-”, but then stopped herself and looked at Christen, who narrowed her eyes at Tobin. “Uh, long time ago, just a few adventures, nothing recent…” Tobin said, drifting off. Hope looked at Tobin, then at Christen, then back at Tobin, who looked at Dax and continued. “So anyway, _you_ won’t be able to go in without attracting attention. Especially not in your G-man suit.”

“Sounds like you get to stay in the car”, Hope said to Dax with a smirk.

“Now just wait a minute, this is _my_ operat-”, Dax started, but Ali cut him off.

“Detective Solo is right", Ali said. "We can’t risk any unnecessary suspicion. The best plan is to have Christen and Tobin go in, scope the situation, and then come out. If Ruger and Van Nilsen are there, you can all go back in together and take them. And as a reminder, Special Agent McCarty, JOCT has overall jurisdiction here, not the FBI. Now, I intend to stay out, but remember that you are in the Strike Team's house, so I expect you to play nice.” She stared at Dax for a moment and then said, "Don't make me come in on my maternity leave."

“Fine”, Dax huffed. “But no guns. We can’t risk you two getting caught if for some reason you get frisked at the door”, he said to Tobin and Christen. “Plus, I don’t want you going in there guns blazing and shooting up the place without reason." He eyed the Strike Team disdainfully. "I've heard about you guys. Hot shots. Risk takers. Adrenaline junkies. Working outside procedure. A bunch of damn cowgirls", he said, looking around at the group.

“Is this guy for real?” Christen asked, looking around. Hope glared at Dax, Morgan tipped an imaginary cowboy hat, and Tobin pointed a finger gun at him.

“Dax, I can go with Detectives Heath and Press”, Meghan said reassuringly.

Hope looked at Meghan for a moment and then said, "Fine, but put some normal clothes on first. You look as much like a G-man stiff as he does”, she said, pointing to Dax. Then she turned to Christen and Tobin. “We’ll be in touch after we run down something on the drug ring case. Call us if you need us”, she said, then grabbed a jelly donut off the table and smooshed it into Dax’s hand. “For you, while you wait in the car”, she said smugly. Dax scowled, and Hope winked at him and then turned to Ali and smiled. “Nice to see you, Krieger, and don't worry, I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine”, she said, and then motioned to Morgan.

“Love your suit”, Morgan said suggestively to Meghan and then winked as she walked past her. Tobin and Christen snickered, and then Morgan and Hope walked away.

“Are all of these Chicago detectives such asses?” Dax asked Ali, jelly filling dripping off his fingers.

“Just the ones who are good”, Ali said, smiling. Then she stopped smiling and looked at Dax. “And these guys are the best. So mind yourself.” Dax scowled a bit but nodded his head, and Ali turned to Christen and Tobin. “Press, Nutmeg – nice seeing you guys.”

“Nice seeing you, too”, Christen said.

“Say hi to Ash and the baby”, Tobin said.

“Thanks, I will. Good luck guys”, she said to everyone, then turned around and left.

Dax turned to Christen and Tobin. “Well, I hope that’s enough of the shenanigans, and that we can work together in a cooperative manner”, he said, looking around, trying to figure out where to wipe his fingers.

“Hey, you were the one who came in here, ‘guns blazing’, with attitude”, Christen said, mocking Dax’s line from earlier.

“Yeah, really. Cool your jets, and we’ll be fine, okay, Mr. F-B-I guy?” Tobin added, then handed Dax a napkin. Dax took it and stared at her but didn’t say anything. "You're welcome", Tobin said, then looked at Meghan. “Well? Hurry up and get changed”, she said, then looked at Dax. “We’ve got bad guys to catch”, she said, mocking Dax’s line from earlier, and Christen stifled a laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

Tobin, Christen, Megan and Dax rode in Meghan’s black Suburban to Lion’s Head Pub. Dax rode shotgun, in silence, pouting over what he perceived as the Strike Team’s unwillingness to recognize the authority of the FBI. Tobin sat in the back, right behind Dax, making faces at the back of his seat. Christen sat beside her, laughing quietly. Fifteen minutes later they parked half a block up the street from the bar.

“Alright ladies, take out your guns and leave them here”, Dax said, trying to sound like he was leading the group.

“Just don’t put your jelly donut fingers on this”, Tobin said as she put her gun on the seat, and Christen laughed.

“Look, enough jokes, okay?” Dax said. He was trying to hold up, but he was becoming more defeated by the minute, and now his tone was more pleading than authoritative.

“Hey – you work with us, we’ll work with you”, Christen said. “But this is our house. You’re a guest. So stop trying to come off like a tough guy boss, got it?”

Dax stared at her for a moment, then sighed and said, “Okay, fine, just…get in there, do some surveillance, and come back out, okay…please?” Dax said, exasperated.

“You said please. That’s good”, Tobin said. “So yes, sure, we can do that, no problem”, she said.

“There, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Christen said to Dax. “See? You’re cool with us, we’re cool with you.”

“Okay, ready?” Meghan asked, trying to steer the three others away from a pissing match and back on the job.

“Yup, let’s go”, Christen said, then she, Tobin and Meghan got out of the Suburban, shut the doors and started walking towards the bar.

“Your partner’s an ass”, Christen said to Meghan.

“He kind of is”, Meghan agreed. “But you guys don’t have to give him such a hard time. He’s just trying to do his job.”

“No, he’s trying to throw his weight around”, Tobin said.

“Yeah, this is our house, and he’s coming in like he owns the place. If he just treats us with some respect, we’ll be cool with him”, Christen said.

“I get it”, Meghan said. She was silent for a moment and then said, “So what’s up with your partner? The young one.”

“Morgan? Ooooo…she’s dangerous”, Christen said with a smirk. “Skilled at hand to hand combat.”

“Now _that’s_ a cowgirl", Tobin said. She paused for a moment, as though she was thinking, and then said, "I bet she’s wild in the sack.” Then she looked at Meghan. “Maybe you can find out. I think she likes you”, she said and smiled.

Meghan smiled tightly and then said, “Now you guys are trying to give _me_ a hard time.”

Tobin laughed. “We’re just messing with you. But see, you took it a lot cooler than Mr. F-B-I guy, so we’re cool. You don’t have a bad attitude like he does.”

“So, what’s our cover story?” Megan asked, changing topics as they neared the door to the bar.

“Yeah, it’s kind of early to be drinking”, Christen said.

“Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” Tobin said. “Alright, let’s just say we’re looking for a place to get some breakfast. Now, pretend I’m telling a funny story”, she said as they reached the door. “Chris – you laugh, and Meghan – you say something like, “No way!” Tobin pushed open the door. Christen laughed and Meghan said, “No way!”

“I’m serious, that really did happen!” Tobin exclaimed as they entered the bar, and the three women laughed. The bar was empty except for a woman who looked to be in her early thirties behind the bar. She looked up from washing glasses as the three women walked in.

“Bar’s closed, ladies”, she said, in a slight accent.

“Oh, sorry”, Tobin said. “The door was open.”

“That doesn’t mean the bar is open”, the woman said.

“Oh, okay. We’re just looking for a place to get some breakfast”, Christen said. “Do you know of any places around here-”

“Sarah – they can stay”, a voice came. It had the same accent that the bartender had, but thicker. Tobin, Christen, and Meghan looked over and froze. Sitting at table near the back were Alice Ruger and Mack Van Nilsen.

“Oh”, Christen said. “No, it’s okay, we understand you guys are closed. We’re just looking for a place to get something to eat.”

“How about a drink instead?” Alice said, staring right at Christen.

“Well, um…” Christen trailed off, looking at Tobin and Meghan.

“It’s five o’clock somewhere, right? As you Americans are so fond of saying”, Alice said, still staring right at Christen. Tobin looked at Christen and then looked at Alice, and thought: that’s my line you just took, and that’s my…I don’t know…the girl I like, that you’re eyeballing.

“Uh, I guess so”, Meghan said. She actually wanted to leave, but she didn't want to raise suspicion, so maybe they could stay for one drink, to make it look like they weren't bolting right out, and then leave right after. “Sure, why not? I mean, it’s not like we have anything else to do today”, she said and forced a smile on her face.

“Um, yeah, okay”, Christen said, and flashed her brilliant smile at Alice. “I just need to use the restroom real quick first”, she said, then walked across the floor and into the restroom.

Alice stared at Christen as she walked into the restroom, then stood up. “I’ll be right back”, she said and looked at Mack with a predatory smile.

“Hey, c’mon – we have work to do”, Mack said with the same South African accent that Alice had. Her eyes followed Alice to the bathroom, and then she eyed the three newcomers warily. This was not a place that got a lot of randoms.

Tobin peeked over and saw what looked like a map, or construction plans. She threw Meghan a sideways look and then slowly sauntered over towards the table. “Hi!” she said cheerfully. “Whatcha workin’ on?”

“Hey, back up!” Mack snapped. She covered the map with a manila folder and stood up, her fierce eyes staring right at Tobin.

“Whoa, hey, sorry. I was just…making conversation…being friendly. Didn’t mean to upset you”, Tobin said. She smiled at Mack and was just about to offer her a handshake in apology when Christen walked out of the bathroom in a hurry, Alice right behind her.

“I’m sorry, I’m just not interested”, Christen said politely.

“Wait, slow down, gorgeous”, Alice said, and grabbed Christen’s arm hard.

“Hey!” Christen said and yanked her arm out of Alice’s grip.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” Tobin said, walking up to Alice.

“Well, aren’t you feisty, little hippie”, Alice said to Tobin, looking down on the detective.

“Tobie, it’s okay”, Christen said. “Let’s just go.”

“Leave her alone”, Tobin said to Alice, ignoring Christen.

“What do you care?” Alice said back to Tobin. Then she looked at Christen, who was staring at Tobin, and then back at Tobin. “Ahhhh…I see…you fancy her.”

“Wait, what?” Meghan said.

“Guys, c’mon - let’s go. Tobie”, Christen said, reaching for Tobin’s arm.

“Wait!” Mack shouted, still standing. She came out from behind the table and walked over to the group. “Who are you?” she asked, looking at Christen, Tobin and Meghan.

“What?” Christen said innocently.

“I said, who are you?” Mack said again, then turned to Alice, “Does this look like three random girls that just strolled in off the street?”

Alice didn’t answer, just stared at Tobin instead. Tobin took a step closer to Alice and said, “Don’t ever touch her again.”

“Or you’re gonna do what, luv?” Alice said, cocking her head.

“C’mon, Tobie, I don’t need you to defend me, let’s just go”, Christen said.

“Look, we’re gonna go. We don’t want any trouble”, Meghan said to Alice and Mack.

“No, don’t fucking move”, Mack said in a hard voice. She stared hard at Christen, Tobin and Meghan, and then glanced over at Sarah, who had stopped washing glasses and was appraising the situation closely. “Who the fuck are you people?” she asked again, turning back to Christen, Tobin and Meghan, her eyes narrowing. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

“Okay, look - we’re going to go”, Christen said, putting her hands up. “We’re very sorry to have bothered you today.” She looked at Meghan and then grabbed Tobin’s arm and turned around to leave, but Alice reached out and smacked Christen in the ass. “Hey!” Christen yelled again, whirling around.

“You touch her one more time…”, Tobin said through gritted teeth, and started to move towards Alice, but Meghan grabbed her arm.

Alice smirked at Tobin and then looked at Christen. “You like it rough, huh gorgeous? Well, you should ditch this short little runt and your hippie girlfriend and come back. I’ll rough you up real good”, Alice said, then smiled and blew Christen an air kiss.

That was all Tobin could take. She broke from Meghan’s grip, reached back, and clocked Alice right in the face. Alice went down cursing, and Mack looked over at Tobin, Christen, and Meghan. “You motherfuckers!” she screamed, and then looked over at the bar. “Sarah!” she yelled, and then Sarah dipped down below the bar and came up with three guns in her hands.

“Oh, shit!” Meghan said, backing up towards the door.

Christen’s eyes went wide. She looked over at Tobin, who was still staring down at Alice’s, who was on the ground, clutching her nose. “C’mon Tobie, let’s go!” she yelled, then grabbed Tobin’s hand and pulled, and then she, Tobin and Meghan bolted out of the door, as the first gunshot rang out behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

“Dax!” Meghan shouted as she, Tobin and Christen sprinted down the street.

“What the-” Dax said, as he heard Meghan shout, then looked up and saw the three women running towards him. He grabbed his gun and stepped out of the car, but then froze when he saw Alice, Mack and Sarah exit the bar moments later, guns in hand. They opened fire as Tobin, Christen and Meghan neared the car. A bullet shattered the car window near his head. “Shit!” he said, and ducked behind the open car door, shaking.

“Dammit!” Tobin growled as she saw Dax hiding behind the car door, obviously afraid to engage. A bullet whizzed by hear head, and she looked back at the three women shooting at them, then faced forward and kept running. They were only a hundred feet from the car. They needed to get their guns. Another bullet whizzed by her head, and she turned around again but then heard tires screech, so she turned back front, and saw Hope and Morgan racing up the street towards them in Hope’s car. Morgan leaned out the window and fired past Tobin, Christen and Meghan at Alice, Mack and Sarah, pausing the latter three in their tracks. Hope jammed on the breaks and then got out of the car.

“Take cover!” Hope yelled as she drew her gun and fired. Christen, Tobin and Meghan dove behind Hope’s car. Morgan got out of the car and started firing as well. Alice, Mack and Sarah fired back, a hundred feet away.

“God damn it!” Mack yelled. “Feds – I fuckin’ knew it!”

“Fuck you coppers!” Alice yelled, squeezing off rounds.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Sarah yelled. Alice and Mack fired a few more shots and then the three villains retreated into the bar.

“We’re going in!” Hope yelled, then turned to Tobin and Christen. “Get your guns and follow us in. Moe - let’s go!” Hope yelled, and then she and Morgan took off towards the bar. Tobin, Christen and Meghan ran towards the Suburban, where Dax was still cowering behind the open car door. “C’mon!” Tobin yelled as she, Christen and Meghan grabbed their guns, and then started for the bar, with Dax reluctantly following behind. They got to the bar and came through the front door just in time to hear tires screech and see Hope run out the back door to the alley.

“Damn”, said Morgan, who was at the back door, right behind Hope.

“Fuck, they got away”, Hope said, coming back in.

“License plate?” Christen asked.

“Couldn’t get it”, Hope said, then looked around. “Everyone alright?”

The room was silent for a moment with everyone nodding and catching their breath, and then Tobin said, “Glad you guys showed up when you did.”

“Press texted us, ‘get here asap’. I assume you texted as soon as you saw that Ruger and Van Nilsen were here”, Hope said to Christen.

“That’s why I went to the bathroom, to let Hope know”, Christen said to Tobin and Meghan, then turned back to Hope. "We were gonna leave right away, but Ruger told us to stay for a drink, and we didn't want to raise suspicion, so we stayed. I was gonna call, but then Ruger came in the bathroom after me, so I had to send a quick text.”

Tobin smiled at Christen. “Quick thinking, Chris. Saved our asses. We didn’t have much backup otherwise”, she said, then glared at Dax.

“What? They were firing…I was…pinned down”, Dax whined, still shaken. The truth was, he had never been in an actual fire fight. Seven years with the FBI, but most of it had been paperwork. He had always fantasized about being a field agent, in the thick of the action, but when it came right down to it, now that he’d had a taste of danger, he was scared stiff.

Hope looked at Dax. She knew the truth, which was that her team took more physical risks than most federal agents in any branch. Tracking criminals on computers and through paper trails is one thing, but going out on the street and hauling in dangerous bad guys on a daily basis is another. She wanted to take a crack at him, but she could tell he was shaken up, so she remained professional and then looked at Tobin, Christen and Meghan. “So, what happened in here, that got those three chasing you guys down the street, shooting at you in broad daylight?”

“Ruger went after Chris-Christen”, Tobin said.

“What?” Hope asked.

“Well, kind of”, Christen said. “She followed me into the bathroom when I went to call you. It wasn’t anything I couldn’t have handled, though.”

“So how did that evolve into a firefight?” Hope asked.

“See? That’s why I didn’t want anyone going in with guns”, Dax said righteously, trying to get back in the game.

“Shut it”, Hope said to Dax, who started to open his mouth but then thought better of it and stayed silent. Hope stared at him hard for a moment and then said, “Toss this place, now.” Dax huffed but bowed his head and went off to start searching the bar, and then Hope turned back to Tobin and Christen. “So, what happened?”

“Ruger grabbed Christen and then…” Tobin started.

“And then what?” Hope prompted.

“Tobie…” Christen said.

“And then she smacked her ass”, Tobin said.

“So…?” Hope prompted in a flat tone of voice.

“I just…I didn’t like seeing that”, Tobin said.

“So you started a firefight over that? Because some criminal who we’re trying to apprehend smacked your partner’s ass while you guys were undercover?” Hope asked. Then she turned to Meghan. “And where were you during all of this?”

“I tried to get everyone to leave”, Meghan said.

“It’s true, boss”, Tobin said. “It was my fault.”

Hope stared at Tobin and then looked back at Meghan and said, “Go help Braveheart over there search this place.” Meghan nodded and started searching, and Hope turned back to Tobin. “So, Ruger grabbed Press’s ass, and then…what…?” she asked.

Tobin was silent for a moment and then said, “I punched Ruger in the face.”

“And then what?” Hope asked, already guessing what had happened.

“Well, she went down, and then Van Nilsen started screaming at us, by the way, you should hear the mouth on this woman, and then Barker grabbed three guns from behind the bar, and then we ran”, Tobin said.

“Okay, just so I am clear: upon learning that both Ruger and Van Nilsen were in the bar, you decided to punch Ruger in the face, instead of just leaving, going back to Meghan’s car, getting your guns, calling me and Moe, and then all of us could have gone back in together and taken them”, Hope said.

Tobin sighed. “Yeah, I guess so. Look, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Hope stared at Tobin. “Alright, we’ll talk later”, she said to Tobin. Then she looked at both Tobin and Christen. “Toss this place”, she said.

“Check this out”, Meghan said, holding up what Mack had been looking at. “It’s the stolen construction plans for the gas line.” She spread it out on the bar and everyone crowded around.

“Looks like it goes right underneath the Art Institute, The Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, and the Planetarium”, Hope said.

“I’m still wondering why they wanted this”, Christen said.

“I still think it may be an attack down in that area”, Meghan said.

“But what’s valuable down there?” Tobin asked.

“Well, there are works of art and museum-type stuff. Maybe something there that’s worth something?” Hope posited.

“Maybe…” Meghan said.

“Alright, look, let’s finish tossing this place and then get back to base”, Hope said. The team searched for another fifteen minutes and then packed it up. Meghan and Dax went in Meghan’s Suburban, and Christen and Tobin rode in the back of Hope’s car with Hope and Morgan up front. They rode in silence for a few minutes and then Christen looked over at Tobin.

“Look, you really didn’t need to come to my rescue”, Christen said softly.

“I didn’t do it to come to your rescue”, Tobin said. “I just don’t like seeing some animal all over you.”

“I can take care of myself”, Christen said.

“I know, Chris. I said I didn’t do it for you”, Tobin said, a little louder. Hope glanced into the rear view mirror for a moment, and Morgan looked over at Hope.

Christen stared at Tobin for a moment, then reached over and took Tobin’s hand. “Well, thank you anyway, even though you didn’t need to”, she said, looking at Tobin with big eyes. Tobin looked back at Christen, then smiled slightly.

 

********

 

“Fuck!” Mack shouted, kicking over a barrel. She, Alice and Sarah were in the warehouse.

“Relax, we’re fine”, Alice said.

“Three billion women in the world, and you had to go for that one? A fucking cop!?” Mack exclaimed.

“Calm down! I’m your customer, and the customer is always right, remember?” Alice said, staring at Mack. “You are in my employ right now, so calm down.” Mack stared back but didn’t say anything, so Alice said, “Look, I didn’t know she was a cop. She looks too hot to be a cop.” She paused for a moment and then said, “I mean, did you see the ass and lips on that?” she said, smiling.

“We’re planning a job, Ruger, not hunting skirts”, Mack said, seething, then ran her fingers through her hair.

“Relax, they don’t know anything”, Alice said.

“They probably tossed the bar. The map was sitting right on the fucking table”, Mack said.

“They won’t get much from that.”

“Even so”, Mack said. She paused for a moment and then said, “We need to move up the timetable. To tonight.”

“Can we be ready that fast?” Alice asked.

“I can be ready by this evening”, Mack said.

“I’ll make some calls to arrange for early transport”, Sarah said.

“Well, okay then – tonight it is”, Alice said and smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as the team got back to the precinct Hope ordered Tobin into her office. “You guys”, she said, addressing Christen, Morgan, Meghan and Dax, “Figure out where Ruger, Van Nilsen and Barker are and what they’re up to next”, then she went into her office and slammed the door. “Talk to me, Heath”, Hope said, leveling her intimidating stare right at Tobin. “What’s going on with you and Press?”

“What do you mean?” Tobin asked.

“Lately you guys have started calling each other ‘Chris’ and ‘Tobie’. I know you two have spent at least one night together, last night. This morning, you stopped mid-explanation of how you knew that Lion’s Pub was a lesbian bar, like you were afraid to say anything about your ‘adventures’ there in front of Press. You punched Ruger in the face because you thought she was hitting on or threatening Press, and then on the way back here in my car, I heard Press telling you that she doesn’t need you to protect her, and then you saying that you didn’t do it for her, whatever the hell that means. So, I’m asking you again – what’s going on?”

Tobin stared at Hope for a moment and then said, “I don’t know, boss. I mean…I think…maybe I like her.”

Hope stared at Tobin. “I thought so. When did this start?”

“I don’t know exactly. Sometime after Alex transferred.”

“Does Press like you back?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? I can’t tell for sure.”

“Have you talked with her about it?”

“No…not yet.”

“You didn't talk last night when she spent the night at your place?” Hope asked. When Tobin didn’t say anything, Hope said, “Yeah, I know she spent the night at your place last night. She’s wearing the exact same clothes as she wore yesterday.”

“Yeah, she did spend the night, and it was the first night she's spent over”, Tobin said. “I was really shaken up, and Chris-Christen was…comforting me.

Hope stared at Tobin for a moment and then said, “Look, I don’t care what you guys do on your own time, and I get it – feelings can happen. And you know the official policy is for us not to have relationships with each other, but I don’t care if you do. Just as long as it doesn’t fuck with the job.” She stared at Tobin and then said, “You nearly got everyone shot today over some white-knight chivalry bullshit.” Tobin looked at Hope, but then lowered her gaze, so Hope said, “Hey, we’re here to protect each other, but we don’t need any cavalier behavior. Are we clear?”

“Yeah, boss. Sorry.”

“Alright. Now let’s go catch some bad guys”, she said, and held the door open for Tobin as the two of them went to join the others.

 

********

 

“Well, that doesn’t look good”, Morgan said conspiratorially to Meghan, as she watched Hope ream Tobin through the window of Hope’s office. She and Meghan were at one end of the large table in the Strike Team area. Meghan looked up from some paperwork and smiled tightly at Morgan, then looked back down. Morgan stared at her for a moment. “So, what do you do when you’re not putting up with your annoying partner?” she asked, looking at Dax, who was at the other end of the table. Meghan looked back up at Morgan, and Morgan smiled charmingly.

“I work on becoming the best agent I can be”, Meghan said.

“Well okay then, Captain America. Oh wait - you're INTERPOL, so I guess that would be Captain International”, Morgan said. “So, what do you do in your spare time?”

Meghan stared at Morgan for a moment, then asked, “Are you hitting on me, detective?”

“Most likely”, Morgan said, and flashed another charming smile. “So, how long are you in town for?”

“Until we close this case”, Meghan said.

“And then…?”

Meghan looked at Morgan for a second and then asked, “Do you want to ask me out, detective?”

“Probably. And you should say yes. Look - this city has a ton of cool shit to do”, Morgan said. She grabbed a nearby Chicago Magazine and started flipping through it. “Walks on the lakefront, great food and bars, culture, like there’s a concert in Millenium Park tonight, the Art Institute has a Dali exhibit right now, the Field Museum has Treasures Of Africa, the Planetarium has-”

“Wait, what did you just say?” Christen said, looking up from the construction plans that she was combing over.

“What?” Morgan said.

“Right now, when you were just rattling off options for where to take Ms. INTERPOL on a date. You were listing things to do in the city…” Christen said.

“Oh, yeah – I just said walks on the lakefront, food, bars, concerts-”

“You said something about treasure”, Christen reminded her.

“Oh, right, the Field Museum has a Treasures Of Africa exhibit right now”, Morgan said.

“Let me see that”, Christen said, walking over. She took the magazine and started reading aloud: 

 

“Behold riches from all over the African continent: diamonds, gold, ancient artifacts, and much, much more…”

 

Christen looked up and said, “This is it.”

“What?” Meghan said.

“African treasure”, Christen said. “It has to be worth millions. I bet this is what Ruger and Van Nilsen are after.”

“Maybe, but what would construction plans for a gas line have to do with stealing treasure?” Meghan asked. “This could still be a plot to set off an explosion, like they did in Barcelona last year at La Rambla.”

“Maybe, but maybe not”, Christen said. She saw Hope and Tobin come out of Hope’s office. “Guys, check this out”, she said. Hope and Tobin approached, and Christen looked at Tobin. She looked like she had just taken a serious verbal lashing, and Christen was pretty sure she knew what it was over, but she chose not to mention it right now.

“What’s up?” Hope asked.

“We think we have a theory”, Christen said, and handed Hope the magazine.

“Treasures Of Africa”, Hope said. “Field Museum.”

“This could be what Valkyrie is after”, Christen said.

“Maybe, but dead bodies could still be the M.O.” Meghan said. “I mean, why would you need plans for a gas line if you’re planning on stealing treasure?”

“I don’t know”, Hope said. “But we need to consider both possibilities. Also, because we ran into Ruger and Van Nilsen today, they may be moving up their timetable, so we need to figure out what they’re up to, like now.”

“Or they could have fled”, Dax said.

“Maybe, but maybe not. Not everyone runs and hides at the first sign of trouble”, Hope jabbed, and Dax scowled but didn’t say anything.

“Okay”, Meghan said, putting her hands up to stall any further jabs towards Dax. “So what’s the plan?”

Hope thought for a moment and then said, “Let’s get to the museum now and scope it out. We need to inform their security team of these possible scenarios, and then we can start laying out plans.”

“Wait, if we do that, we may spook Valkyrie into running before executing the job”, Dax said.

“That’s true, but we can’t take the chance that the job is an explosion, being carried out today, and not act”, Hope said.

“We can’t risk spooking Valkyrie”, Dax said.

“I’m not gonna gamble that over the lives of thousands of people”, Hope shot back.

“Boss – it’s gonna be the treasure”, Christen said.

Hope stared at Christen. “How can you be so sure?”

“What’s blowing up a museum in Chicago going to do for this group? They’re a pro-white terrorist group from South Africa, not jihadists from the Middle East. They don’t have a beef with the U.S. They need money. And they’re pro Africa. Why not steal treasure from Africa that’s sitting in a museum in the U.S. and bring it back home?” Christen theorized.

“Chicago has a lot of minorities. This group is pro-white. Blowing up a museum with minorities in it would send a statement”, Hope said.

“They’ll get white people too”, Christen said.

“Yeah. There’s not as much benefit to an explosion as stealing millions of dollars of treasure”, Tobin interjected. “I think Chris is right.”

Hope stared at Tobin, then nodded. She was still pissed at Tobin’s earlier behavior, but Tobin had a point. Then Hope looked at Morgan. “Moe?”

“Could be either, I guess. I don’t know.”

“Suits?” Hope addressed Meghan and Dax.

“I think we need to cover both angles”, Meghan said, and Dax nodded.

“Fine”, Hope said, then looked at her watch. It was just past 10am. “Let’s split up. You three”, Hope said, pointing to Morgan, Meghan and Dax, “get down to the museum now. Talk with their security team and let them know what’s up, but don’t push the panic button just yet. Call someone at the city and see if you can get more info on this gas line construction.” Then she turned towards Tobin and Christen. “You guys go home and get some rest. If this ends up being a heist, it could be way later tonight, in the wee hours of the morning. If it goes that way, then you guys will be on point, so I want you guys rested. I’ll call you if something moves.” Tobin and Christen nodded, and then Hope said, “I’m gonna call around and see if I can find out exactly how much this African treasure display is worth.”

 

********

 

“You want to come in?” Tobin asked as Christen pulled up to her apartment.

“Mmmm…no, I think I’m gonna head home until Hope calls”, Christen said.

Tobin looked at Christen and then said, “Look, Chris – about earlier, I want to make sure you know that I know you can take care of yourself. I just…I just didn’t like seeing Ruger all over you.”

“Tobie, it’s fine. As long as you know that I don’t need you to protect me.”

“I know, Chris, and I told you that I didn’t do it for you.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

Tobin stared at her. “I did it because…I did it because I got jealous.” She looked at Christen and then exhaled. “I like you, Chris.”

“You ‘like’ me?” Christen asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah. Like, more than a friend. And look, I know that’s kind of crazy, and I know that I’m hitting you with this out of left field, and I don’t know if you feel the same way towards me, and I know that me telling you may screw things up between us, but I hope it doesn’t, and I-”

Christen leaned in and planted a soft kiss right on her lips. They stayed there for a moment, then Christen pulled back. “I like you too, Tobie. More than a friend”, she said and smiled. She stared at Tobin for a moment, then their faces moved closer and their lips met again in another kiss, this one longer and more heated than the first.

“Chris”, Tobin said, pulling away from the kiss. “Please…come in…”

Christen stared at Tobin, eyes smoldering, and then said, “Okay”, and the two women got out of Christen’s car and went into Tobin’s apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer, but it may be the last update for a few days - getting swamped at work (damn you, real life LOL). Thanks for reading, and hope you are enjoying the story.

“Hey boss”, Morgan said into her phone.

“I found out how much this treasure is worth”, Hope said. “Over two hundred million.”

“What!?”

“Yup. Serious money.”

“No kidding. Well, on our end, we spoke with the museum security and gave them our two scenarios. Also, Ms. INTERPOL called the city. Wait, hang on, boss”, Morgan said, then covered the receiver. “No, I can tell her, just tell me…ugh”, Hope could faintly hear Morgan’s voice, and then a muffled sound like a phone exchanging hands.

“Hey, it’s Klingenberg”, Meghan said into Morgan’s phone.

“What’s up?” Hope said.

“So, the gas line isn’t up and running yet, but they’ve been testing it at night”, Meghan said.

“What does that mean, ‘testing it at night’?”

“So, the gas is off during the day on this new line, but then they turn it on at night so they can run it through the line and make sure everything is okay before they integrate this new line into the existing gas line system.”

“Okay, I get that. What else?”

“Well, it’s a big line. It will be the main gas line into the south loop once it’s done”, Meghan said.

“So a lot of gas goes through there, I’m guessing”, Hope said.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“But they only test it at night, so Valkyrie couldn’t use it for an explosion during the day, and the museum closes at 6pm. So no go on the explosion theory.”

“Well, not now at least, but they could be waiting for the line to be complete before they carry out their attack”, Meghan said.

“Well when’s that gonna be?”

“Not for another week or two.”

“Then why would they be here so far in advance?” Hope asked. “I mean, usually operatives carrying out a job like this won’t be on location any longer than they have to be.”

“I don’t know, detective”, Meghan said.

“Alright, well check this out – I found out how much this treasure exhibit is worth: two hundred million.”

“Whoa”, Meghan said.

“So I feel like a heist is still a possibility.”

“Knowing that, I would agree, although I still don’t know why they would need the gas line plans”, Meghan said.

“I don’t know either. Look, you guys can leave the museum, since the explosion theory seems like a no-go. Go get some rest. I’ll call later. Let’s plan to meet back at the precinct in the evening. I want to be back at the museum, all of us, before they turn on the gas line tonight”, Hope said.

“Copy that”, Meghan said. She hung up, then looked at Morgan. “Sorry, I just thought it would be easier to explain that myself rather than pass it through you.”

“I get that”, Morgan said. “So, can I have my phone back, or are you going to put your number in there first?” she said and smiled at Meghan slightly.

Meghan started to hand Morgan her phone, then paused, brought it back to her own lips, and placed a light kiss on the screen. “Here you go”, she said with a slight smile.

 

********

 

Tobin’s phone buzzed on her nightstand. She sat up and looked at the phone to see Hope’s name, then looked at the beautiful brunette sleeping beside her. After entering Tobin’s apartment they had gone straight for the bedroom, then had fallen asleep. Now it was late afternoon.

“Heath”, Tobin answered.

“You and Press may be right. It’s looking like the heist may be the likely scenario. I found out how much the African treasure is worth: two hundred million.”

“What!?” Tobin practically screeched into the phone. Christen opened her eyes and rolled over.

“Yeah. It’s a fortune. Still don’t know what the gas line is for, but Klingenberg called the city, and apparently they are in the testing stages for the line right now, so they are only running the gas at night.”

“So no daytime explosion”, Tobin said.

“Correct.”

“Could the gas line somehow be used as part of an escape plan?” Tobin asked.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, just…thinking…” Tobin trailed off.

“Okay, well think your way over to the precinct. Moe and the suits left the museum a few hours ago but they are coming back to base now”, Hope said.

“Okay, be there soon.”

“Okay. And tell Press. I’m sure she’s right beside you”, Hope said.

“Wait, what?”

“You’re welcome for the afternoon together”, Hope said, then hung up.

Tobin smiled slightly, practically hearing Hope’s smirk through the phone.

“What’s going on?” Christen said, sleepily.

“And good morning to you too”, Tobin said. Christen smiled, and then Tobin leaned over and kissed her. “Hope wants us down at the precinct. Apparently the daytime explosion didn’t happen, but she thinks the nighttime heist is still an option, so looks like we’re on tonight.” She looked at Christen and then said, “You were right”, then smiled.

Christen smiled back but then pouted a bit. “Damn. Normally I like being right, but in this case, I wish I was wrong, so we could go back to bed”, she said, and then smiled.

“Well, now we can get the best of both worlds: we can go bust some bad guys and then go back to bed”, Tobin said.

Christen laughed. “You’re too much, Tobie”, she said.

Tobin smiled at Christen and then planted another kiss on her lips. They stayed like that for another long moment and then Christen pulled back. “Wait – should I be expecting a call from Hope?” she asked.

“No, she knows we’re together”, Tobin said. “Hope said, and I quote: “You’re welcome for the afternoon together.”

Christen giggled and shook her head, and Tobin leaned in to kiss her. Christen engaged her for a moment but then pulled back.

“C’mon, we gotta get dressed, or we’ll be late, and then Hope will _really_ be pissed at you, more than she already is”, Christen said, and Tobin rolled her eyes. The two women got dressed and then jumped into Christen’s car. They drove in silence for a few minutes, and then Tobin said, “Hey, does it feel different to you?”

“Does what feel different to me?” Christen asked.

“Like, going out into the field right now. Like, this is the first time we’re going out into the field after we’ve talked about…us, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess it does feel different, maybe”, Christen said.

They drove in silence for a bit longer, both of them thinking. “Hey, Chris?” Tobin asked as they pulled up to the station.

“Yeah?”

“Just promise that you’ll be careful tonight.”

“Of course”, Christen said. She paused for a moment and then said, “What’s up, Tobie?”

“I feel like I’m more worried now about something bad happening to you.”

“Tobie, I don’t need you to take care of me, remember?” Christen said.

“I know, but…I guess it’s just the way that I feel now, or something. I mean, I like you, and now I know you like me, so now it feels like things are…I don’t know…different.”

Christen glanced over at Tobin and then reached over and squeezed Tobin’s hand. “Things will be fine tonight, okay Tobie? I will be fine.” She squeezed Tobin’s hand again and then said, “And you be careful too, okay?”

Tobin looked over at Christen as Christen parked the car, then leaned in and caught Christen with a tender kiss.” Of course”, she said. Christen smiled at her, and then the two women got out of the car. They went into the precinct and walked into the Strike Team area. The rest of the team was already gathered around the table.

“Alright, here’s the deal”, Hope said. “The museum just closed. We’re gonna get down there and head right for the exhibit. Then we’ll split up in teams. We'll patrol all exits, regular check-ins. Got it?” The team nodded, but Hope saw Dax yawn. “You alright, Mr. FBI?”

“Hey, some of you got to rest while we were at the museum”, Dax whined.

“You weren't at the museum that long. Plus, Detective Brian was with you, and I don’t see her yawning”, Hope said. Then she turned to Meghan. “How about you, Ms. INTERPOL? You need to sit this one out, too?”

“I work for INTERPOL, detective. We are used to working in different time zones at the drop of a hat. I’ll be fine”, Megan said with a polite smile.

“Alright then, let’s roll”, Hope said. The Strike Team piled into Hope’s car, and Meghan and Dax took Meghan’s Suburban. They pulled up to the museum twenty minutes later and headed for the front entrance.

“Wow, that’s beautiful”, Meghan said, as she stared at the downtown Chicago skyline bathed in the setting sun.

“It sure is”, Morgan said. “Maybe if you stick around tomorrow we can take a walk together.”

Meghan looked over. “Maybe, detective. Maybe”, she said, then flashed Morgan a small smile, turned around and followed Hope, Christen and Tobin into the museum. Morgan smiled back and followed Meghan into the museum, a worn-out Dax bringing up the rear. The security manager met them at the front and then escorted them to the exhibit near the center of the museum.

“We can cover the exhibit and the east and west exits, which are the nearest escape points. We’ll need some guards covering the north and south exits”, Hope said.

“It’s just me and three other guards on duty tonight”, the security manager said.

“What?” Hope said back.

“Just four of us tonight”, the security manager said.

Hope stared at him. “You’ve got a two hundred-million-dollar exhibit here, and you’ve got four guards?”

“Hey, this is a publicly funded museum. Budgets are tight. I’m lucky to have what I do”, the security manager said, then added, “Plus, no one’s ever stolen anything out of here.”

“Well, I got a feeling that someone’s about to try”, Christen said.

“Not if we can help it”, Tobin said, checking her gun.

“Okay, here’s what”, Hope said. “Moe, Ms. INTERPOL – you guys patrol the perimeter on the west exit. Nutmeg, Press – east exit. Mr. FBI – you stay here with me. Everyone – keep your radio on channel 2.” Hope looked at everyone and said, “Stay alert. Now move.”

 

********

 

“God, it’s almost midnight”, Tobin sighed, looking at her watch.

“Stay focused, Nutmeg”, Hope said, as they two of them patrolled the west exit of the museum. The teams had been patrolling for the last six hours. Every hour they would meet back at the exhibit. Hope was rotating partners and assignments to keep everyone fresh. “Okay, let’s get back to the exhibit”, she said, then grabbed her radio. “Press.”

“Copy”, Christen’s voice came. She was with the security manager. “All clear at the exhibit.”

“Klingenberg”, Hope said.

“Copy”, Meghan’s voice came. She was with Dax. “North exit is clear.”

“Moe”, Hope said.

“Copy”, Morgan said. She was with a security guard. “South is clear.”

“East exit”, Hope said into her radio for the two security guards she had sent over there. No response. “East exit, come in”, Hope said. No response. “Shit”, Hope said. “Moe, I’m not getting a response from east exit. You’re closest. Get over there.”

“Copy that”, Morgan said. 

“All patrols, be on aler-” Hope started, when she heard an explosion come from the other end of the museum, followed by an alarm. “What the hell was that?” she said.

“Sounded like C4”, Tobin said.

“Moe!” Hope yelled into the radio. “Explosion, sounds like it came from the east exit.”

“I heard it boss, we’re on our way”, Morgan said.

“Klingenberg”, Hope said.

“We heard it too, east exit, on our way”, Meghan said.

“Press”, Hope said.

“Copy, we heard it too”, Christen said.

“Stay at the exhibit, Press. We’re gonna check it out, then come back to you”, Hope said, then signed off and looked at Tobin. “Let’s go, Nutmeg”.

 

********

 

“Shit”, the security manager said. He checked his weapon and then started for the east exit.

“Hey, where are you going?” Christen asked.

“To the east exit”, the security manager said.

“We’re supposed to stay here”, Christen said.

“My men are over there”, the security manager said. “I’m going.”

“We’ve got teams going over there. Stay here.”

“My men went down, and I’m gonna find who did this!” the security manager yelled, bravado in his voice.

“Hey, listen! If Ruger and Van Nilsen are here, where do you think they’re coming next, huh?” Christen said, motioning to the treasure in the glass case.

The security manager looked at Christen. “Whatever. You can stay here. I’m going”, he said, then turned around and ran out of the room.

“Hey, stop!” Christen said and ran after him. He was about twenty feet ahead of her. She saw him run around the corner into a corridor and then heard two pops. She froze and drew her gun, then slowly inched around the corner, her gun leading the way. “Hey”, she said quietly, then froze. The security manager was lying on the ground, blood seeping out of his head from two gunshot wounds. “Shit”, Christen said, and started to reach for her radio when she felt a solid whack on the back of her head, and then her world went black.

 

********

 

“Boss”, Morgan’s voice came over the radio. “We just got to the east exit. Looks like someone blew out the door. The two guards are down.”

“Shit. Okay, stay put”, Hope said, then radioed Meghan. “Klingenberg”, she said into her radio.

“Copy”, Meghan said.

“The two guards at the east exit are down. You and Dax get over there with Morgan and her guard”, Hope said, then radioed Christen. “Press”, she said. No answer. “Press”, Hope said again.

“What’s going on?” Tobin said, looking at Hope.

“Press isn’t responding”, Hope said, then tried the radio again. “Press, come in”, Hope said. She waited for another moment. “No answer.”

“Oh no…” Tobin said, worry starting to creep into her.

“Let’s go”, Hope said, and was just about to turn on her heels, when her radio went off.

“Press?” Hope answered.

“Hello, coppers”, a female voice with a South African accent said.

Hope looked at Tobin, whose face went white as a ghost.


	8. Chapter 8

“Ruger?” Hope said.

Alice laughed, a chilling laugh. “Come to the exhibit, darlings. We’ve done some renovating. I think you will find it…interesting, to say the least”, she said, then the radio went dead.

“Oh my God”, Tobin said.

“It’s okay, Nutmeg. I’m sure Christen is fine", Hope said, then put her hand on Tobin's shoulder. "We’re going to get her back", she said, and then she and Tobin made their way towards the exhibit area. They crept up to the entrance and then came into the exhibit room with their guns leading the way. And froze. In the room were Alice, Mack, Sarah and Christen. Mack and Sarah were armed with machine guns. They were pointing them right at Christen. Alice was holding Christen, who was wearing a bondage style vest that bound her arms behind her, to which was connected a bomb with a timer. A ball gag was in Christen's mouth, wires running from it down to the bomb. The treasure was gone from the case.

“Hello, coppers”, Alice said, smiling. She was standing behind Christen, holding her with one hand, her other hand stroking Christen’s hair.

“Let her go, Ruger!” Hope yelled.

“Like this contraption?” Alice asked with a wicked smile, motioning to the vest. “I think it’s sexy.” 

“Put down your guns!” Tobin yelled. “It’s okay, Chris”, she said. A muffled reply came from Christen behind the ball gag.

“Awwww, it’s okay baby”, Alice purred, stroking Christen’s hair. She planted a gentle kiss on Christen’s cheek and then looked at Tobin. “You should have seen how excited she got when we strapped her in the vest. I think she likes the kinky stuff”, she said, then slapped Christen hard on the ass. Christen yelped through the gag.

“God damn it, let her go!” Tobin yelled.

“And what are you gonna do, huh copper?” Alice spat. “You gonna shoot me? You shoot me, we shoot gorgeous right here. Maybe you’ll get us, maybe you won’t. But either way, she’ll die. Are you willing to risk that?”

“Shit”, Tobin swore. She was right. They couldn’t fire, or they would shoot Christen. She looked at Christen and thought, I wish I could trade places with her right now. Christen might actually be able to get off three shots before anyone else could return fire. And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to be in her position right now, if it meant getting her out of harm’s way.

“What do you want?” Hope yelled.

“We already got what we want. Two hundred million dollars worth of treasure”, Alice said. “ _Our_ treasure, from _our_ land. We’re taking it back home.”

“The treasure is on loan from the United African Nations Council. It’s not like the United States stole it”, Hope said.

“But you did!” Alice yelled. “You did steal it! America steals everything, everywhere! And for what!?” Alice glared at Hope and Tobin. “This country was supposed to be the greatest hope for white people in the world, and what have you done? Allowed your country to be overrun with minorities. This whole fucking country deserves to die!”

Mack looked at Alice and then smiled. “Great acting”, she said, then turned back to Hope and Tobin. “Well, not totally, you guys certainly have fucked this country to shit, but what we really want is the money. Two hundred million should buy us the militia we need, don’t you think?” she smirked.

“You people are fucking insane”, Tobin said, shifting her gun between Alice and Mack.

“Listen to me”, Hope said. “There’s no way you’re getting out of here. Backup is on its way, and we’ll have this place surrounded in four minutes.”

“Perfect!” Alice yelled. “When the bomb goes off in eight, all of you will die!”

“That’s C-4”, Tobin said, looking at the vest. “The blast radius won’t go beyond this room. So how are you going to blow up-” she started to ask, but then stopped when it hit her.

Alice stared at Tobin as a small smile crept across her face.

"No..." Tobin gasped.

“Does anyone else smell gas?” Mack asked, also smiling.

“Shit”, Hope said. “That’s why you stole the plans for the gas line."

“Always need an escape plan”, Alice said smugly.

“No”, Hope said. “You don’t need to do this. You got what you wanted. Why do you need to blow everything up?” If the C-4 went off, the explosion would reach the gas line right underneath the building. If that happened, the gas would carry the explosion throughout the whole south loop area, starting with the museum. Everyone in a mile radius would burn.

“Well, when you steal two hundred dollars, you can just disappear”, Alice said. “When you steal two hundred million, people will find you.”

“Unless they think you’re already dead”, Mack said, hoisting her barrel up a bit closer towards Christen’s head, to make the point.

“And with the size of this explosion, there’s no way anyone will think we made it out alive”, Alice said. “I mean, no one else in this square mile will”, she said and smiled.

Hope stared at Alice, Mack and Sarah, and then said, “Last chance. Let her go, put down your weapons, and you can walk out alive.”

Alice laughed. “Really, copper? We’re walking out alive anyway. You’ll have eight minutes to disarm this bad boy. Maybe you can evacuate the area by then. Maybe you’ll even be able to save this one here too”, she said and stroked Christen’s hair again, “although I doubt it. But regardless, we’ll be long gone, sailing away into the distance.”

“C’mon, let’s go”, Mack said to Alice.

Alice looked over at Mack, then back at Tobin and Hope. “Well, I guess we’d better be off”, she said, then put her mouth to Christen’s ear. “Too bad we didn’t get to know each other a little better, luv”, she said, then kissed Christen softly on the cheek, and then bit her hard on the neck. Christen squirmed, and then Alice pushed a button on the timer panel on Christen’s vest and then backed off, gun pointed at Christen. Then she, Mack and Sarah backed out of the room. As soon as they left, Hope and Tobin ran up to Christen.

“Chris”, Tobin said to Christen. She wanted so badly to hug Christen, but then thought better of it.

“Can you disarm this?” Hope asked Tobin.

Tobin examined it for a moment, the professional in her kicking in, and then said, “Yeah, I think so.” Then she looked into Christen’s eyes. “No, I _know_ so. I can disarm this.”

“Okay, I need to get everyone out of here, and then we gotta call Metro and tell them to start evacuating the area”, Hope said. Then she looked at the timer. Seven minutes and counting down.

“Go”, Tobin said to Hope. “Get everyone to safety. I got this.”

Hope stared at Tobin for a moment and then nodded, then pulled out her radio. “Moe”, she said.

“Copy”, Morgan said.

“We found Ruger, Van Nilsen and Barker in the exhibit room”, Hope said. “They stuck Press in a bomb vest rigged with C-4. Tobin’s going to try to disarm it, but if it goes off, the explosion will hit the gas line, and it’ll nuke the whole south loop. Get everyone out of here now. Tell Klingenberg to contact the city, have them shut off the gas line now, and then call Metro and put out an alert, start closing down streets, etc.”

“Copy that”, Moe said. “Where are Ruger, Van Nilsen and Barker?”

“They escaped, but I’m gonna try and find out where they went. Be in touch”, Hope said. She signed off, then looked at Tobin. “Last check – you okay?”

“We’ll be fine”, Tobin said. “Go.” Hope nodded and left, then Tobin turned to Christen. “Baby – look at me”, Tobin said. “We’re going to get you out of this.” She looked at the timer. Six minutes left.

Christen mumbled through the gag. She also registered that Tobin had just called her ‘baby’.

“Okay, just hold still”, Tobin said, studying the rig. “C-4 compound, timer detonator…” She looked for another moment and then said, “Okay, I think I got it. This is rigged with sequential wiring. As long as I disable the wires in the correct order the bomb should be neutralized.” She looked at Christen and said, “We’re going to start with the gag first.” She took out a pair of wire cutters that she always carried and cut the wire on the left first, then the wire on the right, then she reached around and removed the ball gag from Christen’s mouth. Christen gasped, and Tobin cupped her cheeks and planted a kiss on her lips.

“Babe”, Christen gasped.

“It’s okay, baby”, Tobin said, registering that Christen had just called her ‘babe’, then looked at the timer. Five minutes left. “Just hold still”, she said, then started cutting wires. She got through about half of them, when the next one she cut made the timer speed up double.

“Oh no”, Tobin said.

“What?”

“The timer…just sped up…double.”

“Oh my God”, Christen said.

Okay, okay”, Tobin said, taking a couple deep breaths. She looked at Christen, who looked panicked, and said, “Hey – I’m gonna get us out of this, okay?” she said, and smiled slightly at Christen. Christen, despite herself, smiled slightly back. Tobin leaned in and gave Christen a quick kiss, and then went back to studying the wires. She cut, studied, cut, studied, then looked at the timer. Two minutes. “Okay, there’s only four wires left, but these are the hardest ones”, Tobin said. “Ready?”

“Ready”, Christen said. She nodded nervously, and then gave Tobin a quick kiss. “Good luck”, she said.

Tobin smiled slightly and then cut the first wire. Nothing happened, but as she cut the second wire, the timer sped up to counting down in increments of ten seconds.

“Oh my God”, Tobin said.

“Babe, it’s just two more wires”, Christen said. “You can do this.”

“Okay, here we go”, Tobin said. She took one last look at the wires and then cut the second to last one. The timer continued to count down in increments of ten seconds. She cut the last wire as they were two (twenty) seconds away from detonation. “Oh my God”, Tobin said, and exhaled.

“Baby, you did it”, Christen breathed out. Tobin helped her out of the vest, and then wrapped her in a big hug.

“Chris…” Tobin said, holding Christen tight and breathing in Christen’s scent, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Tobie…” Christen said, tears welling up in her eyes as well. She held Tobin tight for another moment and then pulled back and looked into Tobin’s eyes. “Thank you, for…you know…saving me”, she said.

Tobin looked back into Christen’s eyes. “Anytime, baby”, she said, then planted the softest kiss on Christen’s lips.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, some of the action happens simultaneously.

“Hey, you guys okay?” Hope asked. She, Morgan, Meghan, and Dax had reconvened at the Metropolitan Police Station, colloquially known as “Metro”, a mile away from the museum. Tobin and Christen had just strolled in after leaving the museum.

“Yeah, we’re fine”, Christen said. “Thanks to my hero”, she said, partly jesting but mostly serious, then looked at Tobin.

“Nice work, Nutmeg”, Hope said. 

“Thanks”, Tobin said. “So, what’s the latest?”

“Gas has been shut off”, Meghan said.

“Roads have been shut down”, Hope said. “Working on clearing the area still, just in case.”

“Any sign of our Ruger, Van Nilsen and Barker?” Christen asked.

“No”, Hope said. “But they couldn’t have gotten far. They set the timer on that bomb for eight minutes. It would have taken two minutes to get out of the museum and into a car, so that means only six minutes of drive time-”

“I think I know where they’re going”, Christen said, interrupting Hope.

“Where?” Hope asked. "And how?"

“Burnham Harbor. It’s just over a mile south of the museum. It’s the closest harbor just outside of the explosion radius, if the bomb had actually gone off and hit the gas line”, Christen said.

“Ruger did say, ‘Sailing off into the distance’, didn’t she?” Tobin remembered.

“Yeah, she did”, Hope said, then nodded. “It makes sense. They can take a boat out of the harbor and up Lake Michigan into Canada – Windsor, Ontario, whatever, and then jumping a plane to South Africa.” She looked at the team and said, “We’re only a mile and a half away from the harbor. Let’s get over there now.” The team jumped in the cars and sped over to the harbor. The parked at the entrance and walked up the main dock on foot. The lights were low and the harbor appeared to be void of activity, except for one ship at the end of the dock. Hope put up a fist and the team crouched down behind a short wall.

It was a small cargo ship, maybe a hundred fifty feet in length. Half a dozen men walked the deck, machine guns in hand. Mack and Sarah were carrying crates up the walkway onto the ship, guns slung over their shoulders. A moment later Alice strode up the walkway, armed as well.

“Alright, everyone ready?” Hope asked. Everyone nodded. “Okay, let’s go, and be careful”, Hope said, then rose to her feet. “Freeze!” she shouted.

Alice looked up. The damn coppers. “Shit!” she swore, then opened fire. Mack and Sarah whirled around, dropped the crates they were carrying and opened fire too, backing up the rest of the walkway. Then the men on the deck opened fire as well, as the law team scrambled towards the ship, firing back. Two of the men went down. Tobin reached the walkway first and started up.

“Heath, wait!” Hope yelled, but Tobin was already up the walkway. “Shit!” she swore, then started up after her. “Cover us!” she yelled to the rest of the group, then started up as well. Hope reached the top of the walkway and jumped onto the ship. She pivoted and saw a man who squeezed off three rounds just as Hope was able to duck behind a column. Hope returned fire, hitting him twice in the chest. He went down, and Hope walked over to him. She kicked his weapon away from him, just as she heard the rest of the group reach the top of the walkway. “Dax, you’re with me", Hope said. "The rest of you - spread out. Find Ruger and Van Nilsen, and find Heath.”

 

********

 

Tobin was moving towards the aft deck when she heard commotion. She whipped around a corner. A man was coming towards her. She fired twice and put him down, then flinched as a bullet pinged a pipe just above her head. She whirled around and saw Mack lower her weapon and duck behind a pole. “Shit!” Tobin swore and headed in Mack’s direction. Mack fired back but missed, then turned and ran down a hallway. Tobin ran after Mack and saw her round a corner. She followed suit, but slowed when she reached the corner. She counted silently to three, then swung her gun around the corner. Mack was there, and slashed at Tobin’s arm with her butterfly knife. Tobin yelped and dropped her gun, and then Mack came at her again.

“I’m gonna carve up your face, bitch”, Mack spat, this time her knife slicing towards Tobin’s face. Tobin grabbed Mack’s knife hand with both of her hands, and Mack, with her free hand, began throwing body punches to Tobin’s mid-section. Tobin yelped in pain with each blow, but held onto Mack’s knife hand, and, using her leverage gained with both hands, twisted the knife out of Mack’s hand, and then delivered a solid palm strike right to Mack’s nose. Mack cursed and then tried to kick Tobin in the stomach, but Tobin dodged the kick, charged in, picked Mack up and plowed her through a door that lead out onto the aft deck. The door splintered and both women went down, Tobin on top of Mack, and then Tobin rained down three solid punches to Mack’s head. Mack tried to grab Tobin in her guard and maneuver a choke hold, but Tobin passed Mack’s guard. She grabbed Mack’s hair, pulled her head up six inches off of the deck, and then rained down a vicious forearm strike that broke Mack’s jaw and sent the back of Mack’s head bouncing off of the deck. Mack groaned and then laid still, eyes still staring at Tobin.

“You should watch your mouth”, Tobin said. She pushed off of Mack and was about to stand up when she heard a slide rack, and Alice’s voice say, “Hello, hippie cop.”

 

********

 

“Shit!” Morgan said as a bullet whizzed by her head. Meghan returned fire. She hit the man who was shooting at them, and he went down. She walked towards the body and was almost there, when the butt of an MP-5 struck her in the side of the head. She went down, and out stepped Sarah from behind a pole, gun trained on Meghan.

“Drop it, luv”, Sarah said to Morgan. “Drop it, or I’ll pump this little cutie full of lead.” Morgan stared at her for a moment, then looked at Meghan, who looked barely conscious and was groaning on the ground, then looked back at Sarah. She sighed and dropped her gun. “Good girl”, Sarah said. She turned her gun towards Morgan, but as she did, Meghan kicked up her legs and kicked Sarah in the kneecap. “Ow!” Sarah yelped, then turned her gun back to Meghan. “What th-” she started to say, but as she turned, Morgan charged Sarah and brought her to the ground. Sarah’s gun went clattering down the walkway, and Sarah went clamoring after it, but Morgan jumped on top of Sarah, in the mounted position, caught Sarah in a rear naked choke and applied the pressure. She squeezed and felt Sarah’s strength fail, and was about to get off of her when she heard running. She looked up to see another man was running towards them, gun raised. Morgan started to let go of Sarah and go for her gun, which was five feet behind her, when she heard a pop-pop and saw the man fall. She looked at the man and then looked back and saw Meghan, still on the ground, still not fully conscious, with her gun in her hand, barrel smoking.

“Nice shot”, Morgan said, breathing heavy.

“Nice…mount”, Meghan breathed out, and then slipped into unconsciousness.

 

********

 

“Freeze! Hope said as she ran after a man with a gun, Dax right on her heels. The man turned around and fired, the bullet whizzing over Hope’s head. Hope fired back. She hit the man in the back twice, and he fell to the ground. Hope slowed to a walk, keeping her gun trained on him. She reached him and checked his pulse, then turned to Dax. “He’s dead”, she said, and saw Dax nod his head, then his eyes went wide. In an instant, Hope realized what was happening, and she started to whirl around and raise her gun, but she was too late. A sharp, intense pain enveloped her right shoulder, and she went down screaming. She closed her eyes in pain and heard more shots, and the last thing she remembered before going dark was Dax crouching over her, his mouth moving, but she couldn’t hear anything.

 

********

 

“Get down on your knees, copper”, Alice said to Tobin. Tobin scowled at her but did as instructed. Alice got right behind Tobin and said, “There we go. Right where I want you.”

“You’re not gonna get away”, Tobin said.

“Maybe not. But maybe so. But either way, you’ll never know, because you’re gonna die right now”, Alice said. She leveled the barrel of her gun right against the back of Tobin’s head, and Tobin shuddered.

God damn it, not this again, Tobin thought.

Alice laughed and prodded the back of Tobin skull with her gun, then said, “And after I kill you, I’ll pay your gorgeous girlfriend a visit, maybe the night of your funeral. Think what a day that will be for her”, Alice said.

“Go to hell”, Tobin said.

“Eventually”, Alice said. “But you first. Shall we count down the remaining seconds of your life together? Ready? Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, o-””

BANG BANG

Tobin heard Alice fall and then looked up. There was Christen, gun smoking. Alice was on the ground. Christen had shot her twice in the head. Tobin stared at Christen, who walked up to Alice, gun still pointing at her.

“No one threatens my girl”, Christen said to Alice.

“Chris”, Tobin said, and gently directed Christen’s gun hand down. She smiled at Christen and then gently kissed Christen’s hand. Then she looked at Alice, who was on her back, staring lifelessly at the sky, and said, “Looks like you’re going to hell first.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Hey there”, Dax said as he knocked on the door. It was the next day, mid-afternoon.

“Hey”, Hope said, opening her eyes. She sat up in the hospital bed, wincing as she did.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like hell”, Hope said.

Dax smiled tightly. “Well, sorry to barge in. I know you got out of surgery last night and are not supposed to have visitors yet, but I just wanted to say goodbye before I left. My flight’s in a few hours.”

“Thanks”, Hope said. “And thanks…for saving me. You really came through.” After shooting the man who had shot Hope, Dax had helped Hope off of the ship, then had called for a medic. Hope had been taken to Cook County Hospital, and they had operated on her right away. Fortunately the bullet had made a clean exit. Hope was expected to make a full recovery.

“You’re welcome”, Dax said, then paused for a moment. “It was…exciting. But I think I prefer something not as exciting. If we ever work together again, I think I'll let you guys do the heavy lifting”, he said and then smiled tightly.

Hope smiled tightly back. “Well, thanks again. And if you’re ever in town, feel free to look us up.”

Dax’s smile brightened a bit. “Will do. And sorry again to barge in. Like I said, I know you’re not supposed to receive visitors yet”, Dax said, then smiled a bit wider. “But I believe there is at least one more visitor here who wants to see you. I met her in the hall outside.” He smiled even wider and then opened the door.

“Hey baby”, Hope said and smiled as her girlfriend Kelley O’Hara rushed in the room.

“Baaaabe!” Kelley exclaimed. She had come to the hospital last night as soon as she had heard that Hope had been shot, and she hadn’t left. She ran to the bed and hugged Hope, who winced. “Oh my God – sorry!” she said, pulling back.

“It’s okay, baby”, Hope said, taking Kelley’s hand. “Baby – this is Special Agent Dax McCarty. He saved my life. Dax – this is my girlfriend Kelley.”

“Oh my God – thank you!” Kelley said, smiling at Dax.

Dax smiled back. “Nice to meet you Kelley”, he said. “You have a fine woman.”

“Thanks”, Kelley said, then looked at Hope. “I know”, she said and smiled.

Dax smiled and then said, “I’d better get moving.”

“Safe travels”, Hope said, then paused for a moment and said, “Where’s Klingenberg – isn’t she leaving with you?”

Dax looked at her for a moment and then said, “No, she’s staying here in Chicago…at least for tonight”, he said, then smiled slightly, turned around and left.

 

********

 

Tobin, Christen and Morgan were at the precinct in the Strike Team area, finishing up paperwork. It was the next day, late afternoon.

“Any word on with Hope?” Tobin asked the other two.

“She’s still in the hospital recovering”, Meghan said, walking up. “I just spoke with Dax. He went to see her a bit ago.”

“Wait – Dax went to see Hope before we did?” Christen asked.

“Yeah. Hope’s not supposed to have visitors yet, but Dax’s flight is leaving in an hour, so he wanted to say goodbye before he left.”

“That was nice of him”, Tobin said, then paused for a moment and looked at Meghan. “Wait – you’re not flying out with him?”

Meghan stared at Tobin for a moment and then looked at Christen.” Nooooo…I’m going to stay for the night”, she said with a small smile, then looked at Morgan.

“Ahhhh…I see”, Tobin said, then smiled. “Cowgirl wrangled you into a date, huh?” she said, looking at Morgan, who smiled slightly.

“What are you guys gonna do?” Christen asked.

“Have dinner and then take it from there”, Morgan said.

“I’m fine with anything, as long as Detective Brian doesn’t take me to a museum”, Meghan said, and everyone laughed.

“Well, you guys have fun”, Christen said, then looked at Morgan. “Tobie and I can finish up the paperwork.”

“Thanks guys”, Morgan said, then looked at Meghan. “Shall we?” she asked, smiling.

“We shall”, Meghan said, smiling back at Morgan, then turned to Tobin and Christen. “It was nice working with you guys”, she said.

“Nice working with you as well”, Christen said, and Tobin nodded.

“Thanks, and I’ll try to catch Hope before I leave”, Meghan said.

“When’s that gonna be?” Tobin asked.

Meghan stared at her for a moment and then looked at Morgan. “I guess that depends upon how tonight goes”, she said.

“Well alrighty then”, Tobin said with a smirk.

“Don’t screw it up”, Christen said to Morgan with a smile.

Morgan smiled back, then put her hand on Meghan’s back and lead her out.

“They’re cute together”, Christen said.

“Yeah, I suppose so”, Tobin said.

“Whatever. They’re cute together, babe”, Christen said, and playfully scowled at Tobin, who stuck her tongue out back at Christen. Christen playfully glowered at Tobin for a moment and then asked, “So, what do you want to do tonight?”

Tobin looked at her and then said, “I know what _I_ want to do tonight”, with a smirk.

“Crass”, Christen said, lowering her gaze at Tobin.

Tobin laughed lightly and took Christen’s hands. “No seriously, anything that doesn’t involve bombs or guns sounds good.”

Christen smiled. “Sounds good to me too. Your place or mine?”

“How about yours this time? It’s closer”, Tobin said and then smiled slightly. “Plus, I haven’t broken in your bed yet.”

“Crass again”, Christen said and let go of Tobin’s hands.

“You love it”, Tobin said and batted her eyes.

“Whatever”, Christen said. She tried to hold back a smile but couldn’t.

“C’mon”, Tobin said. She took Christen’s hands again and then planted a soft kiss on Christen’s lips. “Let’s go. We can finish up this paperwork tomorrow.”

Christen looked into Tobin’s eyes, then looked at the paperwork, and then looked back into Tobin’s eyes. “Alright, Nutmeg – lead the way”, she said, and then followed Tobin as they walked out of the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s is for this one. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
